Instead of using a simple lifetime average, Udemy calculates a course's star rating by considering a number of different factors such as the number of ratings, the age of ratings, and the likelihood of fraudulent ratings.

Games and Simulations: The Scratch Masterclass

Projectiles, Zero Gravity and Everything you Need to Know to Master Scratch Programming

4.6
(5 ratings)

Instead of using a simple lifetime average, Udemy calculates a course's star rating by considering a number of different factors such as the number of ratings, the age of ratings, and the likelihood of fraudulent ratings.

Training 5 or more people?

Students learn how to navigate the Cartesian plane of the Scratch Stage

Students learn how to draw shapes and patterns

Students create variables and formula solvers

Students create a visual representation of the Pythagoras theorem which both draws the triangle and then calculates the length of the missing side

Students use changing variable and pen functionality to plot various equations and find out where they intersect

Students create a mouse following dynamic which has their Sprite moving by chasing the mouse

Students use random numbers, timers and costume changes to create a reflex training game

Students use random numbers and several variables to create a game where they guess a number

The game also keeps long term statistics and lets players know if they are really lucky (or potentially psychic)

Students create a marksmanship game with moving targets, custom drawn pellets and winning animations

Students create a game that is similar to the Angry Birds type game which uses Newton’s laws of motion to toss projectiles around with a catapult

Students use Scratch to simulate the environment of outer space where objects float around freely until they collide. This program in action is reminiscent of footage of Astronauts floating in ‘zero gravity’

Students make use of the unique cloning function in Scratch to make dozens of copies of the Scratch Sprite which can be used for animations or a weapon for our ‘zero gravity’ spaceship

Students use the very advanced custom blocks which combine cloning and pen functionality to design fireworks

This module consists of five challenges, each of which presents several programming concepts and then challenges the student to solve a coding problem by applying these very concepts. A fantastic aspect of Scratch is that in it’s very DNA coding are contained three important mathematical algebraic principles, present in every single mathematical curriculum from year 6 to year 10. We are more deeply exploring the Cartesian plane across which the Scratch Sprites move and the variables that keep score and object location in Scratch games. We are also investigating equations which are necessary to bring realism to the movement of objects.

Module 2: Open Ended Activities

After learning the fundamentals in Module 1, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. Each lesson in this module takes students to the brink of creating a playable game in Scratch and leaves them with a set of improvement suggestions that would take the game to the next level of playability. The idea here is that each student in class can complete a different amount of upgrades and in a different fashion. There is no finishing line and there is an infinite potential for improvement. In a way, this ensures that advanced students don’t sit around and wait for the next lesson (low entry – high ceiling).

Module 3: Advanced Concepts

When students arrive at this module, they are comfortable with Scratch. They begin to make a brilliant realisation that an advanced concept is simply three or four basic concepts put to use all together at one time. So, some examples of what we cover in this module are:

1. Projectile Motion equations which are brought to life in a doughnut shooting game.

2. Zero G Equations (Newtons Laws of Motion) which are brought to life in a spaceship which moves just like objects do in outer space

3. Custom Blocks which amount to functions with parameters which are used to create a program that simulates fireworks

Module 4: Complex Problems

In order to maximise students’ potential and achieve a level of excellence students need to take on big challenges which in all likelihood will not be solved at the first attempt. After all, professional mathematicians do not spend their day solving easy math problems. Rather they spend most of their time taking on world changing difficult problems, often without success. Still, it is this experience of pushing your limits and attempting amazing things that is so much fun and helps those who do it to become a little smarter every day! In this module, you have three complex problems to choose from. We recommend you cover at least two.

Option 1: Ski Racing Game

Setting up ski races is something that could be performed really well by a computer program. We have some 40-60 sets of gates that the skier has to go through. These need to be positioned at different angles and distances, which we can do using random number ranges. Then there is an issue of the skier; here the students learn how to perform two different movement dynamics (mouse following and arrow activation). The main goal of the students is to fine tune the game dynamics and find a way to measure and record the times of the skiers so that they can challenge their friends to beat their best times.

Option 2: Fruit Slicing Game

What if you could interact with Scratch by waving your hands around? Well you can, and all you need is an ordinary webcam! Scratch has a way of measuring the movement of your hands and any other object you bring into the room being viewed by the webcam. The game you will see is similar to the popular game called Fruit Ninja, but it’s a whole lot more fun to wave your hands around than swipe a phone screen. The ultimate goal is to slice up a specific number of apples and oranges.

Option 3: Physics Engine

This is the hardest challenge, designed for the students who are doing really well with coding and also enjoying the integrated mathematics. The idea here is that every popular 3D game uses physics to simulate the real world and make the game feel realistic. This is precisely what the students will be asked to do with a ball object which should bounce off the walls in natural arcs and eventually come to rest. Once this big challenge is solved, students can easily create realistic soccer or volleyball games

Who is the target audience?

This course is ideal for anyone who wants to get started with programming the easy way (block based)

This course is for anyone who wants to get started with making games

This course is ideal for anyone curious about applying mathematics through programming

The course is ideal for teachers who wish to teach programming

This course IS NOT FOR children of primary school age (unless they are advanced in mathematics)

We start off with learning about the cartesian plane where the scratch cat lives and quickly get a sense for co-ordinates. once the cat can go from one set of co-ordinates to another it can do so in a pattern. So why not make it a meaningful pattern and spell out the first letter of your name.

Infinity is strangely familiar to computers, millions of programs running today have infinite loops within them which never stopping unless there is a power outage. So its only fitting for the scratch cat to have a go at an infinite loop of code… which will continuously draw an infinity symbol

Algebra is at the core of all computing, so its time we get familiar with variables and equations as well as their offspring: a formula which is just an equation with 2 or more variables. We program the formula for area of a circle and then endeavor to find the volume and surface area of a cone!

One of the most famous mathematical observations of all time is the Pythagoras Theorem which defines the algebraic relationship beftween the three sides in a right angled triangle. Your task is to program the theorem into Scratch in a way that can solve problems. Beyond that the bonus challenge will be to sketch the triangles being computed.

Co-ordinate geometry allows us to see Algebra in clear pictures where equations take the shape of lines and curves. These equations are essential in the programming of virtual environments like games where objects move, bounce and accelerate. Your challenge is to combine you ability to program formulas with your ability draw shapes and come up with 2 accurately plotted lines. . . then if you can, find out where they intersect!

The Scratch Cat turns into a ball, and another sprite is created in the shape of an arrow to demonstrate the direction of launch of the ball.

The entire movement of the launched ball is defined by its launch speed and launch angle, which you get to set using sliders. When the ball is launched, two trigonometric equations calculate the ongoing position of the ball every 0.1 seconds… the effect looks smooth and natural because all objects launched on earth are governed by the same equations. Lastly a target is introduced to make things more fun, the target places itself at a random location every time the game starts

Suggestions for improvement:

Create 2 new variables one that counts the hits and one that counts the misses. On the bases of these 2 you can define what it means to win or to lose

There is a wonderful floating/ drifting effect when it comes to motion in zero gravity. Perhaps you have seen some Astronaut footage, or movies like Gravity and Wall-E.

The foundation of this game is giving our Sprite the zero gravity experience of moving like an astronaut through space.

As you will see, a little bit of trigonometry and 2 equations get the job done in stunning style.

Suggestions for improvement:

Outer space is infinite while the scratch window is finite….. try fixing this problem it will help greatly in the next tutorial where the spaceship will find itself under attack and look for an escape route

Change the breaking engine (going in reverse) to be less powerful that the forward thrust engine

Now that we have a bonafide spaceship coasting though the zero G environment, its time for things to get a little bit more interesting and create ourselves some enemies. The ship will be attached by a mysterious yellow ball of light that follows its every move.

The challenge will be to use sprite cloning technology to create a space weapon and defend the spaceship against the hostilities in outer space

Suggestions for improvement:

Let your imagination loose when it comes to creation of new enemies. They could do a lot more than just chase our ship, they can change in shape, size, fire projectiles or even lay down mines

Invent a second type of projectile that launches with a different key from the spacebar, the projectile could possible do no damage to the enemy but stun them for a couple of seconds

These are truly miraculous blocks whose functioning you determine by yourself. In this tutorial you learn how to build custom blocks and specifically a custom block that can draw an infinite number of polygons accurately, merely by specifying the side length and the number of sides.

Suggestions for improvement:Now that you have seen how custom blocks work, try to create a custom block that simulates fireworks using the pen function and many different colours

Add sprite cloning to the operation of the fireworks to make many go off at once

Custom Blocks

26:05

+–

Module 3: Teacher Advice

2 Lectures
25:23

Program File of an Extreme Example: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byx0GIFHOhqEek4ySWxyVjJQT28

Teacher Advice Projectile Motion

09:33

Program File: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byx0GIFHOhqEaldzd0QwcmtGclk

Teacher Advice Zero G

15:50

+–

Complex Problems

11 Lectures
54:26

Physics Engine Premise

Almost every smash hit game of recent times takes place in a 3D simulated real world environment (Farcry, Skyrim, FIFA, NBA etc..) The one thing that all these games have in common is a physics engine which governs the movement of every object in the game and provides the realism though making the characters, balls, weapons, vegetation move as they do in real life (in accordance with the laws of physics). Well we are going to set ourselves the task of creating this wonderful engine and letting it govern the movement of a ball bouncing around in a room. This is by far the most challenging task you have faced so far so along with the two hints here are a list of other resources you should check out

Ski Racing

04:45

Ski Racing Hint 1

06:15

Ski Racing Hint 2

04:14

Ski Racing Hint 3

02:01

Fruit Slicing Game Premise:

What if you could interact with scratch by waving your hands around? well you can! and all you need is an ordinary webcam. The game you will see is similar to the popular game called Fruit Ninja, but its a whole lot more fun to wave your hands around that swipe a phone screen. The ultimate goal is to slice up a specific number of apples and oranges. So pay attention to the variables and the sprite movement then watch the hints and make your own improved version of this highly interactive game

Motion Control Fruit Slicing Game

04:07

Motion Control Fruit Slicing Game: Hint 1

04:49

Motion Control Fruit Slicing Game: Hint 2

03:41

Motion Control Fruit Slicing Game: Hint 3

02:49

Physics Engine Premise

Almost every smash hit game of recent times takes place in a 3D simulated real world environment (Farcry, Skyrim, FIFA, NBA etc..) The one thing that all these games have in common is a physics engine which governs the movement of every object in the game and provides the realism though making the characters, balls, weapons, vegetation move as they do in real life (in accordance with the laws of physics). Well we are going to set ourselves the task of creating this wonderful engine and letting it govern the movement of a ball bouncing around in a room. This is by far the most challenging task you have faced so far so along with the two hints here are a list of other resources you should check out

Sanjin is a teacher and a robotics engineer with a passion for teaching Coding and Robotics to school aged children. He has spent more than 5 years teaching various age groups in platforms like Scratch, Arduino, Python, Raspberry Pi and Lego Mindstorms.

He is presently working with over 20 schools in Melbourne to help them implement the Digital Technologies Curriculum in a meaningful manner. This means developing learning sequences that help students easily grasp the core concepts of coding and then setting them up with problems that involve higher level computational thinking and integration with various mathematical concepts.